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At NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center, sustainability and preservation efforts here on Earth are as much of a priority as rocket launches, spacecraft, and the exploration of worlds beyond our own. <\/p>\n
In celebration of Earth Day 2024, nearly 100 students from Andrew Jackson Middle School in Titusville, Florida, and a virtual audience of students across the country, attended NASA\u2019s Next Gen STEM Earth Day panel at the NASA News Center\u2019s John Holliman Auditorium and press site \u201cbullpen.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
On hand were NASA environmental and educational experts who discussed Kennedy\u2019s unique role balancing space launch technology and protected habitat, the center\u2019s new electric vehicle charging stations, and NASA\u2019s Earthrise educational initiative that aims to increase science, technology, engineering, and mathematics literacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bob Kline, acting chief of Kennedy\u2019s Environmental Assurance Branch, helped students learn about the importance of protecting the habitat that is refuge to more than 1,500 species of plants and animals. NASA Kennedy shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Canaveral National Seashore, which encompass over 140,000 acres of land, waters, and protected habitats. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we\u2019re a wildlife refuge, it\u2019s easy to think the launches would impact the wildlife, but it\u2019s mostly the buildings that might get impacted by wildlife trying to live on them,\u201d said Kline. \u201cDuring renovations we\u2019ve had to do special things to protect bats and other birds who live in roofs or under bridges. Everything we do, we\u2019re very mindful of the animals, whether they\u2019re endangered or not. We care about them deeply.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Panelist Kim King-Wrenn, a park ranger from Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, echoed Kline\u2019s message. She told students that the spaceport is one of the most biologically diverse places in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Home to everything from the Florida scrub jay to endangered green sea turtles, King-Wrenn classifies Kennedy as the goldilocks of climate zones. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRight here is where the northern temperate zone and the southern, subtropical zones come together,\u201d King-Wrenn said. \u201cThe more habitat diversity there is, the more diverse homes there are for more kinds of animals.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
Students like 7th grader Zoe Oderman were fascinated by the coexistence of nature and technology across the spaceport. \u201cThe Vehicle Assembly Building was awesome, but I love that the beaches at Kennedy Space Center give turtles a place to lay their eggs, because other places in the area don\u2019t,\u201d Oderman said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Kennedy employee Spencer Davis discussed the installation of 56 electric vehicle charging stations during his time at the NASA Transportation Office on center. The new infrastructure helps support a fleet of electric government vehicles including the all-electric crew transport vehicles that will take Artemis astronauts from their crew quarters to the launch pad. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Later this summer, Davis and his team will be honored at the White House for these efforts to facilitate a future of zero carbon emission government vehicles and help save taxpayer money. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe big takeaway here is in order to charge up and drive one of Kennedy\u2019s Chevrolet Bolts 100 miles, it only costs $2.80,\u201d Davis said. \u201cThat\u2019s basically the price of a soft drink.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
The students also learned about Earthrise from panelist Kelly McCarthy, program specialist with NASA\u2019s Office of STEM Engagement at the agency\u2019s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The NASA education initiative provides educators with access to monthly collections of resources aimed at increasing STEM literacy and understanding the importance of protecting our home planet. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEarthrise is a really good way to find out the most relevant and useful solutions-based resources that exist right now,\u201d McCarthy said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Besides offering their expertise on sustainable practices as well as words of encouragement to the future stewards of our planet, the panelists inspired students to pursue STEM careers, including at Kennedy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can do anything you want to do out here, and if you really apply yourself you can get into any field,\u201d Davis told the students. \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to step outside the box. Don\u2019t be afraid to do something completely different, even if it\u2019s scary. Take every opportunity and seize the moment.\u201d <\/p>\n
The event was coordinated through the Next Gen STEM project in NASA\u2019s Office of STEM Engagement, which reaches students in schools and informal classrooms across the county. \u00a0<\/p>\n
View NASA\u2019s Next Gen STEM Earth Day Student Briefing here:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n